Our Leaders
STEPHANIE BRUCE
Steph is a professional long distance runner for HOKA NAZ Elite, a business owner, a coach of Running with the Bruces, and a mom of 2 young boys. She founded the energy bar company Picky Bars in which she sold in 2021 after owning and running for 10 years.. She lives and trains in Flagstaff, AZ. She has been running professionally for the past decade with many setbacks, and many triumphant moments. She wondered what more is there in running than simply success measured by a number or a place? It's who we become as women, wives, moms, and entrepreneurs striving to be our best. For her it's sharing the journey from start to finish with all the messy in between. It means leaving a mark everywhere she goes in wherever her passion lies. Her passion has been with women. Connecting women and elevating women. Paving a path for others to find their purpose, their mission, their GRIT.
Steph has coached women for the past 6 years, guided them through postpartum journeys, advised women on starting their own business, saying yes, standing up for yourself, and putting yourself first. At Grit and Growth Steph hopes women who may be lost, can find themselves and find the inner fulfillment we are all seeking.
DAWN HARPER NELSON
My name is Dawn Harper Nelson and I am a wife and mother who is an Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist, 2x World Champ Medalist, 4x USA Champion. I have been blessed to have an amazing career that has allowed me to travel the world to do what I love. Family has always been where my heart is and when I decided to have a family of my own I never could have imagined all the beautiful ways my life would change. There is always a learning process with this thing called motherhood but I would have it no other way.
Grit and Growth is allowing me to connect with women who desire to grow and become better versions of themselves and that’s always a place I want/need to be.
TIANNA MADISON
Tianna is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the long jump and short sprinting events. She is a two-time Olympian with three gold medals. At the 2012 Summer Olympics she placed fourth in the 100m race then won her first gold by leading off the world record-setting 4×100m relay team. At the 2016 Summer Olympics she won two more golds, first with a personal best to win the long jump then again leading off the victorious 4×100m relay team.
Off the track Tianna is a gifted and talented write, entrepreneur, YOGA leader, and has a passion for life that is contagious. This retreat for Tianna is about the power of coming together, not only sharing stories and experiences that may uplift and inspire someone else, but about listening in such a way that allows us to truly see and support one another. Creating and contributing to spaces like this promotes growth in every way.
DR. SARA TANZA
Dr. Sara Tanza has a passion for helping people, especially women and other gender minorities, feel more at home in their bodies. She does this through her work both as a Physical Therapist and as VP of She.Is.Beautiful which produces one of the largest womxn focused running races in the country. Dr. Tanza founded Pelvic Potential Physical Therapy in Santa Cruz, CA specializing in treatment of often ignored or dismissed forms of pelvic floor dysfunction. This practice was founded on the premise that “every human being has untapped, unlimited potential” and that is what Dr. Tanza believes for all people she encounters in every aspect of her personal and professional life. Dr. Tanza treats patients with pelvic floor, musculoskeletal and neurologic dysfunction. She has a special interest in the care of high level athletes during the pre-natal and postpartum period. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Tanza is a guest faculty in UCSF’s Graduate Program in Physical Therapy and Stanford University.
With She.Is.Beautiful, Sara has helped grow a 500 person race to two separate womxn-focused 5k/10k/10 mile events that welcome almost 10,000 participants annually in person and have a far reaching virtual community through the She.Is.Beautiful Mileage Club. She.Is.Beautiful was founded on the premise that beauty is a feeling that moving our bodies lets us unleash.
At Grit and Growth, Sara is excited to share her skills in physical therapy and entrepreneurship. Above all, she is excited to hear your stories and learn about your dreams to chart a path towards all of them together!
COURTNEY BARNES
I consider running as the perfect niche for my heart’s longing to mentor, be challenged, and inspire. Performing at the elite level was a long-time goal, but it wasn’t until 2018 that professional running became a reality. I consider myself both an adventurer and true academic and aspire to run professionally, teach science at a college level, and encourage women of all ages to pursue sport.
SHEA TINDER, LMT
Shea is a licensed massage therapist and has been practicing in Flagstaff, Arizona for 7 years. She uses a variety of massage techniques including deep tissue, connective tissue, neuro-muscular therapy, myo-fascial release and Swedish. She also offers sports and prenatal massage. Shea has been working with Stephanie as her massage therapist for over 8 years and is one of the biggest contributors to Stephanie staying healthy.
OLIVIA SMITH, LMT
I believe that everybody has the right to a safe space ~ a place of rest, a place to let go, a place to heal, so that we may approach life with vitality and ease. With each massage, I integrate my bodywork experience and education to create a custom and comprehensive treatment to meet an array of needs including stress relief, relaxation, sports performance and recovery, digestive health, detox, and pain management.Olivia has been working with Stephanie for over a year and her contribution to Steph’s training and health has been hugely impacted since working with Olivia.